Wood comminuting apparatus

ABSTRACT

Wood comminuting apparatus having adjacent discs rotatable in opposite directions in a housing with blades at one side of one disc positioned to contact a length of wood fed sidewise thereagainst. Openings adjacent blades on the one disc convey cut wood therethrough to adjacent side of other disc. Other disc rotates at greater speed than the one disc and in opposite direction. Cutters on other disc comminute wood which then passes through openings in other disc. Impellers at other side of the other disc discharge comminuted wood from housing.

United States Patent lnvcntor Royce G. Kershaw Montgomery, Ala. 800,101

Feb. I8, 1969 Mar. 30, 1971 Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee WOOD COMMINUTING APPARATUS Kershaw Manufacturing Company, Inc.

10 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 241/55, 241/92 Int. Cl B02c 18/06 Field of Search 241/55, 85,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 565,690 8/1896 Philip 241/l 57 2,855,157 10/1958 Edgar..... 241/92 3,410,495 11/1968 Eklund 24l/92X Primary Examiner-Donald G. Kelly Allorneylennings, Carter &Thompson ABSTRACT: Wood comminuting apparatus having adjacent discs rotatable in opposite directions in a housing with blades at one side of one disc positioned to contact a length of wood fed sidewise thereagainst. Openings adjacent blades on the one disc convey cut wood therethrough to adjacent side of other disc. Other disc rotates at greater speed than the one disc and in opposite direction. Cutters on other disc comminute wood which then passes through openings in other disc. Impellers at other side of the other disc discharge comminuted wood from housing.

III

Patented March 30, 1971 2 Sheets-Shet 1 .w a W 0 2 v. e WK 5 6 .9 e e n w w Om m A Patented Match 30, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet "2 INVENTOR.

Royce GKe/"shaw Attorneys woon COMMINUTING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for comminuting a length of wood with the grain thereof extending lengthwise and more particularly to such apparatus which shall be adapted to destroy or pulverize elongated wood members, such as unusable ties of a railroad track. As is well known in the art to which my invention relates, difficulties have been encountered in destroying unusable crossties which are removed from beneath the rails of a railroad track and replaced by good ties. Such ties are not adapted for use as pulpwood for making paperlike products due to the fact that the ties contain preservative chemicals, such as creosotelike compounds. Also, such ties are partly decomposed and are impregnated with foreign materials, such as dirt. Since it is not economically feasible to transport the unusable crossties to a location where the ties can be burned as a fuel, it is necessary to dispose of unusable ties as a waste material, thus greatly increasing the railway maintenance cost.

To overcome the above difficulties, I provide apparatus for comminuting lengths of the crosstie as they are removed from the roadbed whereby the tie is completely destroyed and then discharged alongside the railroad track as a pulverized material, thus eliminating the necessity of hauling the crossties to disposal areas.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION Briefly,'my improved wood comminuting apparatus comprises a housing having adjacent discs mounted for rotation therein in opposite directions. Angularly spaced blades are mounted at one side of one disc in position to contact a length of wood fed sidewise thereagainst. Openings are provided through the discs adjacent the blades for conveying the cut wood therethrough toward the adjacent side of the other disc. The other disc is rotated in the opposite direction and at a greater speed than the speed of rotation of the first mentioned disc and the second disc carries angularly spaced cutters which contact and pulverize the wood. Openings adjacent the cutters in said other disc convey the comminuted wood therethrough. Angularly spaced impellers are mounted at the side of the other disc opposite the side thereof carrying the cutters whereby the comminuted wood is discharged from the housing.

Wood comminuting apparatus embodying features of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away and in section showing the feed side of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmental view showing the adjacent discs with the openings therethrough and the relative positions of the blades carried by the first disc and the cutters and impellers carried by the second disc.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of my invention, I show a housing having tangential discharge openings 11 and 12. the housing 10 is provided with upstanding sidewalls l3 and 14 secured at their lower ends to a bottom wall 22. The sidewalls l3 and 14 are also connected to each other adjacent the ends thereof by end walls 17 and 18 with the upper portion of the end wall 17 being curved and communicating with the portion of the housing defining the tangential outlet 11, as shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, the housing 10 is formed in two sections which are secured to each other by suitable securing means, such as bolts 19 having retaining nuts Mounted for rotation in suitable bearings 23 and 24 carried by the supporting frame 22 is a drive shaft 26. Keyed to the shaft 26 by suitable key members 27 is a disc 28. The shaft 26 is driven by a suitable source of power, such as a motor, not shown. Mounted on the face of the disc 28 against the upstanding wall 14 is a wear plate 29. Angularly spaced openings 31 and 32 are provided in the wear plate 29 and disc 28, respectively. As shown in FIG. I, the openings 31 and 32 are elongated and extend generally radially from the axial center of the disc 28. Mounted alongside each opening 31 is a blade 33 which is secured to the disc 28 by a suitable blade holder indicated generally at 34 which is secured 'in place by a cap screw 36 in a manner well understood in the art to which my invention relates. As shown in FIG. 1, the blades 33 are spaced angularly from each other and rotate with the disc 28 in a direction for the blades 33 to engage the side of a length of wood 37 fed sidewise thereagainst.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an opening 38 is provided in the upstanding walls 14 beneath the axis of rotation of the shaft 26 in position to receive the discharged end of a feed chute 39 which is generally rectangular, as shown in FIG. I. That is, the feed chute 39 is of a length and width to receive an elongated section of a railroad crosstie whereby the section of crosstie is fed sidewise into engagement with the angularly spaced blades 33. Since the grain of the elongated length of wood 37 extends lengthwise of the wood members, the blades 33 move generally parallel to the grain of the length of wood 37.

Surrounding the shaft 26 and spaced axially from each other are a pair of annular bearing members 41 and 42 which support for rotation a sleevelike member 43 which carries a drive pulley 44. The sleevelike member 43 extends through an opening 46 provided in the upstanding wall 13, as shown in FIG. 2. Secured to the sleevelike member 43 inwardly of the housing 10 adjacent the discharge side of disc 28 is a rotary disc 47 having anghlarly spaced opening 48 therein. Mounted adjacent each opening 48 is a cutter member 49 which is relatively blunt whereby it hammers and pulverizes wood pieces passing through the openings 31 and 32. That is, the angularly spaced cutters 49 are carried by the disc 47 in position to engage the pieces of wood discharged through the openings 32. The cutters 49 are secured to the disc 47 by retaining screws 51 which engage threaded openings provided in retainer elements 52 which in turn are secured to the disc 47 by capscrews 53.

The disc 28 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 34, shown in FIG. I while the disc 47 is rotated in the opposite direction. That is, the disc 28 is rotated in a direction for the leading edges of the blades 33 to follow the movement of openings 31 whereby thewood sliced by the blades 33 passes directly through the openings 31 whereupon the pieces of wood are then engaged by the cutters 49 which move in the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the blades 33.

The disc 47 is not only rotated in a direction opposite the direction of rotation of disc 28 but the disc 47 is rotated at a speed substantially greater than the speed of rotation of the disc 28 whereby the wood is comminuted prior to passing through openings 48. Preferably, the disc 47 is driven at a speed substantially three times the speed of rotation of disc 28. In actual practice, I have found that my apparatus operates satisfactory in every respect by rotating the disc 28 at substantially 200 revolutions per minute and rotating the disc 47 at substantially 600 revolutions per minute. As shown in FIG. 1, I employ more angularly spaced cutters 49 than the number of blades 33 whereby the frequency of the contacts with the wood material by blade 49 is greatly increased. Preferably, the blades 33 flare outwardly from the edge thereof to present an axelilte cutting edge which further-aides in cutting the wood into relatively large pieces.

As shown in FIG. 2, the discharge side of the disc 47 is spaced from the upstanding wall 13 to provide a plenum chamber 56 therebetween which communicates with the tangential outlet openings 11 and 12. Angularly spaced impeller blades 57 are mounted on the discharge side of disc 47 in position to The within the plenum chamber 56 whereby air is circulated through thehousing I0 todischarge the comminuted wood through the openings 11 and 12. Air is drawn into the housing 10 through inlet opening 46. Each impeller 37 is shown as comprising a fiat side 58 which is secured to the discharge side of the disc 47. Secured rigidly to the flat side member 58 of each impeller 57 is an outwardly projecting blade member 59 which extends perpendicular to the disc 47. The outer end of each blade 59 is curved in the direction of rotation of the blade 59 as at 61 to further aid in circulating air through the housing 10.

From the foregoing description, the operation of my improved apparatus for comminuting a length of wood will be readily understood. Where the apparatus is employed to destroy crossties, the crosstie is preferably cut into three pieces of equal lengths which extend the length of the feed chute 39, as shown in FIG. 1. The disc 28 is rotated in a direction opposite the direction of rotation of disc 47 and the disc 47 is rotated at a speed substantially greater than the speed of rotation of disc 28 whereby upon feeding the length of wood 37 sidewise into the feed chute 39, the side thereof engages the blades 33 thus cutting the wood into pieces which pass through the openings 31 and 32 into engagement with the rotating cutters 49. The blades 33 move in a direction parallel to the grain of the wood members 37 thus facilitating cutting the wood into the pieces which pass through the openings 31 and 32. By providing a greater number of cutter elements 49 than the number of blades 33 and rotating the discs 28 and 47 in opposite directions and rotating the disc 47 at a speed substantially greater than the speed of rotation of disc 28, the frequency of the impacts imparted to the wood pieces by the cutter elements 49 is substantially greater than the frequency of contact of blades 33 with the length of wood 37. Accordingly, the blades 33 cut the wood into relatively large pieces which pass through openings 31 and 32 into engagement with the cutters 49 whereupon the pieces of wood are comminuted and then discharged through the openings 48 into the plenum chamber 56 and then finally discharged through the tangential outlet opening 11 or 12.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that l have devised improved apparatus for comminuting a length of wood. By feeding the wood sidewise into engagement with the blades 33, the blades move parallel to the grain of the length of wood whereby lengths of wood are cut with a minimum of efi'ort. thus substantially reducing the amount of power required to propel the apparatus. By rotating the disc 28 and 47 in opposite directions and rotating the disc 47 at a speed greater than the speed of rotation of disc 28, the pieces of wood are comminuted immediately upon being discharged from the openings 32 adjacent the face of disc 47. Also, by providing angularly spaced impellers at the discharge side of the disc 47 which rotate in the plenum chamber 56, the comminuted wood particles are discharged from the housing continuously whereby there is no plugging of the apparatus and the comminuted wood particles are discharged in a condition which does not require subsequent transfer to disposal areas.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

lclaim:

1. ln apparatus for comminuting a length of wood with the grain thereof extending lengthwise:

a. a housing;

b. a first disc mounted for rotation within said housing;

c. means to rotate said first disc in one direction;

d. angularly spaced blades at one side of said first disc;

e. means to feed a length of wood sidewise toward said one side of said first disc into contact with said blades so that said blades move generally parallel to the grain of said length of wood;

. angularly spaced passageways through said first disc adjacent said blades for conveying pieces of wood cut by said blades through said first disc to the other side thereof;

g. a second disc mounted for rotation within said housing adjacent said other side of said first disc;

h. means to rotate said second disc in a direction opposite the direction of rotation of said first disc and at a speed greater than the speed of rotation of said first disc;

i. angularly spaced cutters carried by the side of said second disc adjacent said first disc disposed to comminute said pieces of wood which pass through said first disc;

j. angularly spaced passageways through said second disc adjacent said cutters for conveying the wood comminuted by said cutters through said second disc to the other side thereof; and

k. means discharging the comminuted wood from said housmg. r

2. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which angularly spaced impeller blades are mounted on said other side of said second disc to rotate within and circulate air through said housing so that the comminuted wood is discharged therefrom.

3. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said second disc is adapted to be rotated at a speed substantially three times the speed of rotation of said first disc.

4. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said first disc is adapted to be rotated at substantially 200 revolutions per minute and said second disc is adapted to be rotated at substantially 600 revolutions per minute.

5. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said blades carried by said first disc flare outwardly from the edge thereof to present a cutting edge.

6. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said cutters carried by said second disc are blunt so that they hammer and pulvcrize said pieces of wood.

7. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said housing is provided with a wall in spaced relation to said other side of said second disc to define a plenum chamber therebetween and a tangential outlet communicates with said plenum chamber.

8. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said first disc and said second disc are mounted on concentric shaft members which rotate in opposite directions relative to each other.

9. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which the means to feed a length of wood sidewise toward said one side of said first disc comprises a feed chute which is generally rectangular as viewed in cross section.

10. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 9 in which said feed chute is located below the axis of rotation of said first and second discs. 

1. In apparatus for comminuting a length of wood with the grain thereof extending lengthwise: a. a housing; b. a first disc mounted for rotation within said housing; c. means to rotate said first disc in one direction; d. angularly spaced blades at one side of said first disc; e. means to feed a length of wood sidewise toward said one side of said first disc into contact with said blades so that said blades move generally parallel to the grain of said length of wood; f. angularly spaced passageways through said first disc adjacent said blades for conveying pieces of wood cut by said blades through said first disc to the other side thereof; g. a second disc mounted for rotation within said housing adjacent said other side of said first disc; h. means to rotate said second disc in a direction opposite the direction of rotation of said first disc and at a speed greater than the speed of rotation of said first disc; i. angularly spaced cutters carried by the side of said second disc adjacent said first disc disposed to comminute said pieces of wood which pass through said first disc; j. angularly spaced passageways through said second disc adjacent said cutters for conveying the wood comminuted by said cutters through said second disc to the other side thereof; and k. means discharging the comminuted wood from said housing.
 2. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which angularly spaced impeller blades are mounted on said other side of said second disc to rotate within and circulate air through said housing so that the comminuted wood is discharged therefrom.
 3. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said second disc is adapted to be rotated at a speed substantially three times the speed of rotation of said first disc.
 4. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said first disc is adapted to be rotated at substantially 200 revolutions per minute and said second disc is adapted to be rotated at substantially 600 revolutions per minute.
 5. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said blades carried by said first disc flare outwardly from the edge thereof to present a cutting edge.
 6. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said cutters carried by said second disc are blunt so that they hammer and pulverize said pieces of wood.
 7. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said housing is provided with a wall in spaced relation to said other side of said second disc to define a plenum chamber therebetween and a tangential outlet communicates with said plenum chamber.
 8. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which said first disc and said second disc are mounted on concentric shaft members which rotate in opposite directions relative to each other.
 9. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 1 in which the means to feed a length of wood sidewise toward said one side of said first disc comprises a feed chute which is generally rectangular as viewed in cross section.
 10. Apparatus for comminuting a length of wood as defined in claim 9 in which said feed chute is located below the axis of rotation of said first and second discs. 